Beyond the Gates Recap, September 11, 2025: Hayley plotted against Bill while Derek kept quiet about his legs

Here's what went down Thursday, September 11, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Tomás got pulled into a new strategy of Hayley's, Chelsea considered using her social media powers for good, and Doug got neutered after neutering his plan against Joey.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Dani explained to Vanessa how terrified she had been during Chelsea's disappearance and swore she would never again take for granted her children's health and safety. Vanessa related and wanted to reach out for her own kids; she wasn't surprised when Dani described how she and Bill had come together during the crisis, despite what they'd been through with their divorce. The realtor claimed that her parental bond with Doug was what had kept her marriage to him afloat.

The ex-Mrs. Hamilton confessed that she'd come to wonder if Bill had really cared about their family, but after Chelsea's ordeal, she could see how much he adored their daughters. Dani wondered if she and Bill maintaining their renewed connection could be the nightmare's silver lining. Vanessa mused whether Hayley would have a problem with that; Dani didn't care if she did.

Hayley was cool to Bill, who wanted to stop by Dani's to check on Chelsea on his way to work. She became upset when Bill declined her offer to accompany him, fuming that it felt worse to be pushed aside by her husband than by the Duprees. Bill protested, but Hayley called him out on acting like she was in the way while Chelsea had been missing. When Bill demanded that Hayley cut him some slack, Hayley noted that, though Chelsea was home safe, Bill was still sidelining her.

Bill insisted that Chelsea needed to be his priority because of how fragile she was. Hayley understood but refused to let Bill treat her like she was invisible. Caroline dropped by with files mid-argument and caught the bad vibes. Once Bill stalked out, Caroline saw a ChelseaKat ad on her phone and was ready to drop some coin on the purses. Ms. Lee was certain that Hayley had gotten a sneak peek at the line, but Hayley coughed that she was “the OG outcast of Fairmont Crest,” grumbling about how Bill had been isolating her.

Caroline listened as Hayley described feeling stuck between looking territorial if she wedged her way into Bill's care of Chelsea and giving Dani free reign by doing nothing. Hayley worried that Bill might very well be aware of Dani moving to get closer to him, yet didn't mind. Caroline surmised that the idea of Dani not being over him appealed to his ego.

Later, Hayley and Caroline had devised a “plan,” which Caroline anticipated could make things worse with Bill if it backfired. Hayley thought giving Bill a taste of his own medicine by pretending she was attracted to another man could only be beneficial and cause Bill to focus on her again. Caroline grudgingly made a call to invite someone into their “conspiracy” – and in came Tomás, who wanted details.

Caroline and Hayley spun a story about how they wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for Bill, who would get suspicious if he saw the two of them huddled in conversations – however, they didn't think Bill would catch on if Hayley was seen in conference with Tomás instead. “You just don't know how much you are helping me!” Hayley exclaimed as Tomás said he was all in.

Once Tomás left, Hayley wondered if she could really sell being tempted by another guy, telling Caroline, “I've never lied to Bill before.” Caroline called the scheme an experiment but saw that Hayley was reluctant. Hayley objected that she was going through with it, as she was done with Dani having the upper hand.

Over coffee at Orphey Gene's, Ashley and Madison talked about Chelsea; Ashley was glad that Madison had stayed with Chelsea through the night, and Madison regretted not acting on her bad vibes about Allison. The neurologist added that Chelsea needed time to stop blaming herself for her kidnapping.

Chelsea awoke to find Kat home, telling her cousin and roommate that she had been exhausted since she hadn't slept much while she was “gone.” Kat assured Chelsea that she had everything business related taken care of, including composing a post to let Chelsea's followers know that the influencer was back. Chelsea shocked Kat by proclaiming that she intended to delete all her accounts.

Kat advised against any drastic moves; when she mentioned the sweeter posts made by Chelsea's followers after she was rescued, Chelsea replied, “I'm just a character on their feed.” Understanding that her cuz wanted to feel safe, Kat suggested beefing up security and reported how Bill was giving the higher-ups at Fairmont Crest hell about Allison slipping into the community on a fake pass. Although Kat considered hiring a company which could monitor ChelseaKat's accounts, Chelsea was tired of creating a false sense of intimacy with people who didn't really know her and wanted out of social media completely.

Chelsea stood her ground when Kat objected that they needed their socials to promote and sell their purses; she didn't even want to think about business. Kat was sympathetic but counseled Chelsea to hold off making any big decisions for the time being. Dani entered, equally stunned to hear that Chelsea was determined to kill her online presence. Chelsea felt that doing so would prevent anyone else from reading what they wanted into her posts. “If you let [Allison's] ugliness dim your shine, she wins,” Dani countered, with Kat in agreement.

Dani comprehended Chelsea's desire to go off the grid, but reminded her daughter of Anita's credo: “Duprees don't hide.” The older former model told the younger former model that the control was in her hands, and that she didn't see Chelsea shrinking away from the public eye given her heredity. “I'm shocked to hear you give Dad so much credit,” Chelsea commented when Dani hailed Bill as a nationally known attorney. Dani smirked that her putting so much into Bill's business meant it was a reflection on her, but went on to say that publicity-generated careers ran in their family.

Chelsea was unsure, crediting Vernon, Anita, and Martin for facing violence as public figures – “I was just using fame to promote my stupid business,” she sighed. Dani was all for Chelsea stepping out of the spotlight to regroup, but submitted that Chelsea could use her notoriety as a tool, the way Anita did, perhaps raising money for organizations that helped women get out of abusive relationships. Kat loved the concept and brainstormed about donating the proceeds of a special bag to a cause Chelsea believed in; she was so excited about the prospect that she nearly jumped on Chelsea telling Bill about it when he arrived.

Bill thought tying the brand to an anti-violence foundation was an excellent idea, leading Dani to quip, “I do have them from time to time.” Chelsea side-eyed Bill's response of “Thanks, babe” when Dani handed him a cup of coffee. Kat exited to take a meeting, encouraging Chelsea to stay home and rest rather than accompany her. After Kat left, Chelsea remarked on Bill's use of “babe,” though he wrote it off as force of habit.

The thought of Bill and Dani sounding like her parents again freaked Chelsea out, so she pushed for an explanation. The exes finally admitted how they'd united while Allison had Chelsea, with Dani grinning that she had temporarily been able to overlook Bill's “many faults and failings.” Bill hoped they could keep the truce going and gently sparred with Dani over it; Chelsea couldn't help but smile, though when Bill reminded Chelsea they'd had their own pre-kidnapping chat about reconnecting themselves, she had to answer, “I'm not there yet.”

Bill was disappointed, but felt better when Chelsea affirmed that Bill would always have a place in her life. Chelsea's parents were appalled when she told them how Allison had forced her to “marry” her. When Chelsea said that she had only agreed to go through with the “ceremony” because Allison had threatened to hurt Madison, Bill marveled that Madison had been on the front lines with the family during their search for her. Bill asked Chelsea if he had implied anything that would have made her feel like she couldn't be honest with him about her sexual identity.

A hangdog Chelsea expounded that she just hadn't wanted to add another component to their already difficult post-divorce relationship – though she had fully intended to tell Bill about herself sooner than later. “I don't have a problem with anyone who loves my baby girl as much as Madison obviously does,” Bill stated for the record, with Dani in total accord. The lawyer hoped Madison was prepared for how dysfunctional the extended family was; Chelsea beamed that Madison wasn't scared of it.

Chelsea nestled in her mother's arms as her father placed a blanket over her. Dani said it was no wonder Chelsea was still spent, given how she had fought Allison. “She came home – like you promised,” Dani added, looking up at Bill while Chelsea nodded off.

Doug ran into Madison and Ashley at the diner; Ashley asked into his “retirement.” The cardiac surgeon said he should have done it years earlier and caught Randy out of the corner of his eye. When the men met, Randy announced that he couldn't help Doug destroy Joey after all, as it would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant. Doug announced he had decided to abandon the plot anyway, acknowledging that he had felt fired up when he'd begun dropping hints to Jacob but had cooled down after a talk with Vanessa.

Randy hoped Mr. McBride hadn't spilled to Mrs. McBride; Doug replied that Vanessa had seen he was on the edge and had reassured him that things were over with Joey. Doug was adamant that Joey had never cared about Vanessa outside of laundering money through her real estate firm, which Vanessa was still allowing. That being the case, Doug wanted to finance a second honeymoon from their cut. Randy remembered that Joey hated losing, and Doug knew better than to take Vanessa's reported rejection of Joey at face value. When Randy asked how Doug could be sure Vanessa hadn't been to see Joey, the doctor got a notification on his phone and ran out.

Vanessa went to the casino and brought Joey a real estate listing that was “tailor-made for [their] little enterprise.” Joey was dismissive, telling her to send the deets in an e-mail. This annoyed Vanessa, who said she had come in person because she didn't want things to be awkward between them post-breakup – and because, from Joey warning her about knowing too much about his business, she knew he didn't like loose ends. Joey avowed he'd never actually hurt Vanessa; she said that it had been his attitude toward Doug which had begun to scare her.

Joey was silent as Vanessa explained that she loved Doug for being the father of her children, and that she couldn't bear being responsible for something happening to him. Armstrong didn't think Doug deserved Vanessa's loyalty, but asked what might change between them if he assured Doug's well-being. Vanessa was more concerned about Doug hurting himself; she realized that she shouldn't have let Doug see her with Joey and was confused as to why Doug had even been angry, since they unofficially had an open relationship. The businesswoman was aware that neither she nor Joey had been looking for anything permanent.

The gaming executive was fine with lying to Doug if it meant Vanessa in his arms again; Joey also refused to be labeled a dalliance and confidently said that Vanessa was as hooked on him as he was on her. Vanessa didn't refute this, and they kissed hotly. Garments began flying, but, with her back turned to the door, Vanessa didn't notice Doug walking in. Joey sniggered at Doug's deflated expression.

At the hospital, Derek thought back to how he'd felt sensation in his legs when Ashley had fallen on him. Shanice arrived, amazed that Derek had already begun his exercises. Later, Madison and Ashley came in, and Derek looked guilty when Shanice said it was time for him to come clean; he barely hid relief when Shanice relayed how “hardcore” he had been about his PT. Derek didn't want Madison examining him, but when she did, he said his limbs had no feeling. Once alone with Ashley, Derek wanted a kiss, which she coyly granted him.

Ashley returned with break room ice cream as a reward for Derek “showing up,” as they'd discussed the previous day. Derek was grateful that Ashley had shown up for him – but after that, Ashley worked up to telling Derek that she had discovered the existence of a wheelchair basketball team in town. Even on the off chance Derek didn't recover, Ashley said, he could still be an athlete and add to his trophy case. Derek recalled that Ashley hadn't been fond of his collection; she sniggered that she liked it better than his moose head. “He misses you, by the way,” Derek sassed.

Derek appreciated Ashley's research but declined the team, dogged that he would walk again. “In fact, I think I should tell you...” Derek began, hesitating before saying he was going to take Ashley dancing as soon as he regained the use of his legs. Then, by himself, Derek punched his thigh again and seemed to get a physical reaction.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.